Windows Weekly 934: OK, JK

Leo, Richard, and Paul discuss Week D and Windows 11, Windows Update, AI and web browsers, Xbox and games, and much more.

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Windows 11

It’s Week D!

• Microsoft issues preview updates for 23H2/22H2 – Winkey + C for Copilot, Drag tray, FAQs in Settings, Lock screen widget customization, IT admin controls for Taskbar
• Nothing (yet) for 24H2

Windows Insider Program

• Canary – Post-quantum signature algorithms
• Beta (24H2) – New Microsoft 365 text actions in Click to Do, Lock screen widget customization, multiple dashboards in Widgets, App recommendations in Open with dialog, PC to PC migration experience in Windows Backup
• New Paint, Notepad, and Snipping Tool features in Canary and Dev – Paint sticker generator and Object select tool, Snipping Tool perfect screenshot and color picker, Notepad writing tools (draft from prompt, rewrite text, etc.)

Now Windows Update is going to update third-party apps too. Thoughts? Many misunderstand this to negatively impact the Microsoft Store.

As promised last week, Notion is now available in the Microsoft Store

Signal will explicitly prevent Recall from screenshotting the app. This is not controversial.

Related: Why is Lenovo doing so well financially?

• Also related: IDC predicts 4.1 percent growth in PC market this year to 274 million units

AI and web browsers, oh my

Browser go agentic

• The Browser Company says it will no longer offer functional updates to Arc as it focuses on Dia
• Opera announces Neon, its agentic AI web browser

Hand-wringing as OpenAI buys Jony Ive’s newish company

Duck.ai if you ask it nicely (and use the right model)

Yes, Google is going to put ads in Search AI Mode

Vivaldi 7.4 arrives for desktop and for mobile

Firefox 139 is a minor update – maybe it’s time to move to a 6 week schedule?

Xbox and games

Copilot for Gaming comes to Android and iOS in Beta for some reason

FTC drops its bid to unwind Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Sony discounts PS5 and peripherals temporary to undercut Switch 2

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Read all about it

Over the course of two long articles, I tell the story about what happened in Seattle last week. Things are going to get worse.

• Fear and Loathing in Seattle
• More Fear and Loathing in Seattle

App pick of the week: Instapaper

With Mozilla killing Pocket, this is my go-to replacement: Instapaper – but also, keep the Pocket newsletter

Plus: Fences 6 is GA on Windows 11

RunAs Radio this week: How to Talk to Security with Sarah Young

https://runasradio.com/Shows/Show/986

Brown liquor pick of the week: Aerstone 10 Sea Cask

https://www.aerstonescotchwhisky.com/gb/our-whisky-range/sea-cask/